Change up your chili oil noodle game with this Indian inspired Chili Oil Tadka Spaghetti Bowl with fragrant mustard seed curry leaf chili tempering! Nutfree option

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: Not specified
  • Cook time: Not specified
  • Total time: Not specified
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For the salad bowl:

  • 4 ounces of spaghetti or other thin pasta or noodles cooked according to package instructions
  • 1/2 bell pepper, (thinly sliced, you can use a mix of red or green bell pepper)
  • 1/2 cup or more julienned or ribboned carrots
  • 2-3 tablespoons of chopped green onion
  • 3 tablespoons fresh or thawed green peas
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro ((use leaves and stems))
  • 3 tablespoons roasted unsalted peanuts
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice

For Tadka/ tempering:

  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 green chili such as serrano (finely chopped)
  • 10-12 curry leaves (fresh or frozen or dried)
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or less for less heat
  • sesame seeds or hemp seeds for garnish

Method

  1. Cook your spaghetti or noodles that you’re planning to use, according to the instructions on the package in salted water. Cook until al dente or until the texture is to your preference, then drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.
  2. Chop up your veggies if you haven’t already. Add the cooked noodles to a bowl, add all the veggies. Then add cilantro, peanuts, salt, and lime juice, and toss well. You can fold in some Cooked beans or baked tofu to make it a meal. Then prep your tadka.
  3. Make the tadka tempering: Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat, once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and let them start to pop or at least change the color.
  4. Then reduce the heat to medium and add the curry leaves, and green chilies, chili flakes, and mix well. If you're using an electric stove, switch it off at this point, for other stoves reduce heat to low and cook for a minute until the green chilies are cooked through, then drop this tempering / tadka all over the noodles and toss well again.
  5. Add more salt and lime juice if needed, garnish with seeds of choice and serve immediately.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.